A Warrior Born in Turbulent Times

The late Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) was a period of chaos and rebellion, where regional warlords carved out their own territories amidst the crumbling Mongol rule. It was in this tumultuous environment that Feng Sheng first emerged as a military leader, organizing his own armed forces for self-protection before eventually joining Zhu Yuanzhang’s rebel movement through recommendation.

Feng’s independent streak became immediately apparent to his new commander. Having been his own master for so long, he struggled with military discipline and frequently acted on his own initiative – traits that would define his controversial career. His battlefield prowess quickly became evident, ranking him among Zhu Yuanzhang’s top generals alongside legends like Chang Yuchun and Xu Da. Yet unlike these model officers, Feng accumulated a long list of disciplinary infractions that made him the most frequently reprimanded among Zhu’s inner circle.

The Highs and Lows of Military Campaigns

Feng Sheng’s military career became a rollercoaster of brilliant victories and reckless mistakes. During the campaign against rival warlord Zhang Shicheng, Zhu Yuanzhang assigned Feng to capture the strategic city of Gaoyou after Xu Da had failed to take it. Characteristically, Feng immediately negotiated with Gaoyou’s defenders and secured their surrender – without authorization. When Zhu warned him about possible treachery, Feng ignored the advice and sent a hundred-man delegation into the city, only to see them all captured. This disaster earned Feng a humiliating punishment: recalled to Nanjing, he received corporal punishment and was ordered to walk back to Gaoyou on foot.

Undeterred, Feng marched back singing songs and then launched a furious assault on Gaoyou. With Xu Da’s reinforcements, he eventually captured the city – but received no rewards due to his unauthorized negotiations. This pattern would repeat throughout his career: spectacular military successes followed by disciplinary breaches that negated any recognition.

After Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty in 1368, Feng’s behavior grew even more erratic. Shortly after the founding ceremonies, he was caught stealing eggs from peasants near Nanjing – an offense that saw him stripped of his court position and sent to campaign in Shanxi. There, his military brilliance shone again as he crushed Yuan loyalist forces under Li Siqi. Yet just as Zhu prepared to reward him, Feng abandoned his post in Shaanxi without orders, prompting another furious reprimand.

The Paradox of Survival

What makes Feng Sheng remarkable isn’t just his military talent or disciplinary record, but his improbable survival in Zhu Yuanzhang’s increasingly paranoid court. As the emperor systematically purged his early supporters during the 1380s, Feng – despite his constant infractions – remained untouched. Partly this was due to his being away on campaigns during major purges like the Hu Weiyong case (1380) and Lin Xian case. His military indispensability also protected him; after the deaths of Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, Feng became the most experienced general in the Ming army.

Even when finally sidelined in 1387 after mishandling a campaign against the Mongols (including embezzling spoils and provoking surrendered enemies to rebel), Feng avoided execution. Sent to retirement in Fengyang, he continued his unconventional behavior, socializing widely and even convincing his son-in-law – Zhu Yuanzhang’s fifth son Zhou Wang Zhu Su – to illegally visit him for extended stays. When discovered, this nearly proved fatal, but Feng again escaped with his life.

The Final Confrontation

Feng’s survival streak ended in 1395, as the aging Zhu Yuanzhang grew increasingly concerned about securing the succession for his grandson Zhu Yunwen. Summoned to a “hotpot dinner” at the palace, Feng engaged in shockingly frank conversation with the emperor, openly referencing previous suspicious deaths of officials and essentially daring Zhu to kill him. The emperor, who had grown tired of using rebellion charges to eliminate opponents, opted for poison instead.

Feng’s death marked the end of an era – the last of Zhu Yuanzhang’s original generals from the rebellion days. His family was spared complete annihilation but barred from holding office forever. In death as in life, Feng Sheng remained an enigma: a brilliant commander whose indiscipline should have doomed him early, yet who outlasted nearly all his peers through some combination of luck, usefulness, and perhaps the emperor’s grudging respect for his unbroken spirit.

Legacy of a Military Maverick

Feng Sheng’s story offers a fascinating counterpoint to the typical narrative of Ming founding figures. Unlike the loyal Xu Da or the tragically purged Lan Yu, Feng represents the complex reality of human behavior in extraordinary times. His military achievements were substantial – particularly his successful campaign against the Northern Yuan when other Ming armies failed – yet were constantly undermined by his inability to follow rules.

Historically, Feng serves as a reminder that talent and discipline don’t always coincide, and that even the most rigid systems must sometimes tolerate exceptional individuals – at least until they become inconvenient. His survival against all odds during Zhu Yuanzhang’s bloody purges remains one of the more curious episodes in early Ming history, suggesting that even authoritarian rulers make pragmatic exceptions.

Modern assessments of Feng Sheng vary widely. Some view him as a victim of Zhu Yuanzhang’s paranoia, others as a talented but flawed officer who pushed his luck too far. What remains undeniable is that in an era when most generals either died in battle or fell to political purges, Feng Sheng’s ability to survive decades of service while remaining true to his unconventional self makes him one of the most intriguing figures of the Ming founding.